Firefighter memorial honors fallen heroes

BATON ROUGE - Fire departments and families from across the state gathered in the capitol city for a ceremony honoring those who dedicated their lives towards the safety of others.

A parade, balloon release and statue dedication were some of the few things the crowd did at a firefighter memorial at the State Fire Marshal building in Baton Rouge Saturday.

According one Shreveport family, it was their chance to once again salute one of their own family members who paid the highest price in the line of duty. Jerry Farmer says his father, Clyde Farmer, is one of over a hundred names engraved at the memorial.

"Everybody looked up to him," said Farmer."He left a legacy and hard footsteps to follow."

Included in the ceremony was the unveiling of a new statue where organizer say was meant to pay tribute to those firefighters who battle industrial fires across the state.

"One of the greatest things is when a person can lay their life down to save somebody else's life," said V. J Bella with Walk of Honor Foundation. "That's the greatest thing there is."